"It’s Opening Night for
'The Producers'"
by Scott Mantz

"The Producers"
Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick
Directed by Susan Stroman

Casting couch! Nathan Lane, Uma Thurman and Matthew Broderick plan their scam in "The Producers"

Moviegoers who never saw “The Producers” on stage during its history-making Broadway run will likely wonder what the fuss is all about when they see it on the big screen.  The record-breaking winner of 12 Tony Awards, which itself was based on the 1968 Mel Brooks classic featuring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, arrives in theaters with most of the original stage cast (Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick), its original director (Susan Stroman, making her feature film debut) and a few new faces (Will Ferrell, Uma Thurman).

But what worked on stage doesn’t necessarily work on the big screen, and like “Rent,” another popular musical that recently got the feature film treatment, some of the magic gets lost in the transition.  Sure, some of the musical numbers are rousing, and the script has some very funny moments.  But the overall effect is somewhat underwhelming, resulting in a film that’s better served as a cinematic souvenir for fans of the Broadway show than as an exhilarating movie that will blow first-timers away.

Stage producer Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) used to pack ‘em in on Broadway, but these days, he can’t even fill a coffee shop.  When his mousy accountant, Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick), remarks that a dishonest man could actually make more money producing a flop than a hit show, Bialystock convinces him to help him raise $2 million, produce the worst show in Broadway history and skip town with the rest of the cash when the show closes early.  It’s a foolproof plan that can’t go wrong, but what happens when the play turns out to be a huge hit?  The only ones who end up looking like fools are the producers themselves!

On paper, the idea of bringing back the original stage director to make her feature film debut must have sounded pretty foolproof in itself.  Other than creator Mel Brooks, Susan Stroman knows more about the play than anyone, since she choreographed it as well.  But for her big-screen adaptation, the results are noticeably restrained, leaving one to wonder if she simply put a tripod down in the front row and let the cameras roll.

And strangely enough, it all seems so dated now.  When the original movie came out back in 1968, audiences were shocked by the sheer audacity of Bialystock and Bloom’s plans to produce “Springtime for Hitler,” a musical featuring – of all things – singing Nazis.  Adapting the play-within-a-play for the Broadway show worked marvelously, but now that it’s back on the big screen again, the premise doesn’t seem so audacious and shocking anymore.

What is shocking is the lack of chemistry between the performers who made the Broadway show such a household name – Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.  On his solo numbers, the vibrant, animated Lane steals the show, especially during his rousing rendition of “Betrayed” near the end of the movie.  But where the cinematic adaptation is concerned, Matthew Broderick seems a little too stiff and uninspired.  Without incurring the wrath of die-hard fans, Lane might have been better off sharing the screen with the more offbeat Martin Short, who played Leo Bloom during the LA run of the show.

But “The Producers” does benefit from the inspired casting of Will Ferrell, who’s perfect as Franz Liebkind, the Nazi-loving playwright of “Springtime for Hitler.”  Uma Thurman also holds her own as Ulla, the Swedish bombshell whom Lane and Broderick hire as their secretary-receptionist (although it is worth noting that her love story with Broderick doesn’t really work).  But Gary Breach and Roger Bart are downright hysterical as the insecure director and his flamboyant assistant who help bring “Springtime for Hitler” to life, and their musical rendition of “Keep it Gay” is one of the movie’s funnier highlights.

For a musical that’s supposed to both celebrate and spoof the pizzazz and ridiculous nature of show business, the full effect of “The Producers” seems undercut by its minimalist cinematic style.  But it’s still more entertaining than not, mostly thanks to its vibrant, good-natured spirit.  Moviegoers who never saw the stage play will enjoy it just fine, while fans who paid top dollar to see it on the Great White Way will love it.  For the latter, the movie is a great souvenir.  And if all else fails, there’s always the soundtrack.

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